Exploring Japanese Landmarks in Nishiki-e and Photographs

Toranomon

Located between present day Kasumigaseki 1 chome and Toranomon 1 chome and refers to the area around the Tora-no-mon Gate. There are several theories about the origin of the name Tora-no-mon Gate such as there was a cherry blossom tree called tora no shippo (tiger's tail) in the residence near the gate. Another theory is that Ota Dokan named the gate for the historical fact of the tiger when he went off to war, and also a theory which said that when they tried to bring in a tiger gifted from Korea, the cage was too big to pass through the gate and they rebuilt it. The state of water over the floodgate and flowing into the cistern, Aoi-zaka Hill and Kotohira-gu Shrine was often painted in nishiki-e.